Fantastic Friday #821 - Helper

Helper

5 When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord;
he brought me into a spacious place.
6 The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?
7 The Lord is with me; he is my helper.
I look in triumph on my enemies. Psalm 118:5-7

We all need helpers. The reason for this is that we cannot do everything easily on our own. Whether it is moving a heavy piece of furniture, jumpstarting a car, assisting someone in writing a resume that has never seen one, or assisting with a project when something is not clear, we all need helpers with something at one time or another. Who is your helper when you cannot seem to make it through the day with disappointment from something or need a lift in your spirit. I hope that we all know that God is always there as a helper and will always be there for us. All we need to do is ask Him for help, and He will provide the help we need through comfort, love and encouragement. We don't need to be afraid of asking, because He wants us to call for His help. Don't forget, we all need Helpers, they come in many forms, but the true Helper is our Lord.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #820 - Fitted

Fitted


10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:10-17



I ordered some shoes online this week because I liked the way they looked. When they arrived I was impressed by the color, and they seemed to fit ok, so I decided to give them a shot. Things that fit well are very comfortable to wear, and things that are not fitted prior to purchase can be risky. Well, the risk did not pay off, and I have since sent the shoes back to where they belong. When we wear the Gospel for others to see, do we wear it loosely and ignore the rubbing when we stray from the beliefs we espouse to? Or do we make sure that the Gospel is well fitted and secure? We have to remember that God's Word is meant to fit everyone who receives it, and we can't just put on pieces when we feel like it. We have to make sure it all fits and is secure, so we can set the example of what it means to be well-fitted and fight off the enemy. Take a moment to look at the fullness of this scripture again and find where you are not fitting, then take steps to get fitted.


Have a great weekend.


Matt

Fantastic Friday #819 - Tell Me

Tell Me

16 Come and hear, all you who fear God;
let me tell you what he has done for me.
17 I cried out to him with my mouth;
his praise was on my tongue. Psalm 66:16-17

Do you find yourself sitting in a group with people having a conversation and you can't quite hear what they are saying, so you say, can you please tell me? I think at times people are so interested in hearing what others have to say, that they don't want to be excluded so they are constantly asking people to tell them, so they are not left out. I know that this is not always the case when folks speak about God, because there are those people who when they hear you are talking about God, that certainly do not ask you to tell them anything and in fact they probably remove themselves from the conversation. Why is it that people are interested in you telling them about Gossip, but when you talk about how God has changed your life, they completely shut down. This is where we need to be more vocal, and tell people who God is and how He has changed our life. Use it in casual conversation when something unexpected happens. Like if you have car trouble and God was there to protect you and provide safe passage to get you off the highway. Or if you have a challenge personally, how God used others to pull you out of that challenge. I am practicing more telling people that it certainly was a God moment when something happens. When they see my faith, it might pique their interest and they might ask "tell me more". Take a moment this week if you have the chance to "tell me" more.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #818 - Filling the Gap

Filling the Gap

We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, 10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience Colossians 1: 9b-11

Sometimes we need things to fill the gap in our lives. Last week for the first time in 817 straight weeks, I created a gap. When we look for something to fill the gaps in life, where do we turn? I assume most of us turn to television, social media, or other gap fillers that make us think less about what is actually going on in our life. I personally can turn on a radio show, or fall down the endless social media bottomless pit and escape. The problem is that I don't quite feel satisfied with all of the things I hear and see by the end. I know that God wants us to be entertained, but I also know that he wants us to fill the gap with his Word. If we spent even 10% of the time in God's word as we do in the world's entertainment, think of how much more we would fill the actual gap in our life. Focus on filling the gap this week and see where that gets you.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #817 - Calm

Calm

23 As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.

24 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master,we’re going to drown!”

He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. 25 “Where is your faith?”he asked his disciples.

In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.” Luke 8:23-25

Do you sometimes get antsy with life and want everything your way? Maybe you have something you have been building up for and it is disappointing when it doesn’t happen the way you want it to. My son traveled separately than we did this year and on his way to the Northeast, the airline lost his baggage. He only had the clothes on his back and a coat. During the last four days he has been very calm and I have been impressed with how he handled it. Something as simple as this can make us not be calm, irritated and wondering why is this happening to me? Just like when Jesus’ disciples lacked the faith they needed, when we are not calm our faith gets stretched. We need to remember in all situations that God has us in His arms and wants the best for us. We need to understand that if we are calm and have faith that we can overcome any challenges to our faith. Let God be your guide and let Him help you overcome your lack of faith. Keep calm and carry your faith.



Have a great weekend.




Matt

Fantastic Friday #816 - Rejoice

Rejoice

20 We wait in hope for the Lord;
he is our help and our shield.
21 In him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in his holy name.
22 May your unfailing love be with us, Lord,
even as we put our hope in you. Psalm 33:20-22

One of my favorite Christmas Hymns is O come, O come, Emmanuel mainly because of the fact that you can rejoice in every verse to or Lord on high. The third verse, one of least known verses for some reason really draws me in to the Lord more closely.

O come, Thou Dayspring, from on high,
And cheer us by Thy drawing nigh;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

When we look to Him from on high and He is cheering us and drawing us in, he can disperse gloomy clouds in our life, what a wonderful picture of God's love. We always need something that cheers us and doesn't depress us and God is there for us to lift us up when we experience gloominess. The best thing is when we allow God to arrive in our life, that death's dark shadows are put to flight. I think of the famous movie Lord of the Rings when the evil ring is destroyed, the clouds and shadows lift from Mordor and let the light shine through. It is even more wonderful when God's light overtakes the shadows keeping us in darkness. The weight is lifted and we can Rejoice to Him. I know just hearing this song helps remind me to come to Him in time of need.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #815 - Branches

Branches

5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5

Do you ever think about this analogy, and do you find yourself trying to be the vine thinking you can control everything in front of you? The vine plays an integral role in providing nutritional sustenance to the rest of the plant, and without the vine you cannot have the branches. I am not sure any of us have the power to control everything, but we can take steps to control our circumstances and how we respond to things. God provides the guiding sustenance we need on a daily basis, we just need to remember to accept it and feed off what He gives. This free gift can strengthen us to live a righteous life and one God intended for us, not one that we try to control. Take a moment to see how strong your branch is, and if it isn't strong enough then what can you do to accept the gifts from God.

Have a great weekend.

Matt